Process for producing salts of fatty acids.



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JOSEPH EDERER, F WILDAU, KR'EIS TELTOW, GERMANY, ASSIGNO'R TO' HOLZVER- KOHLUNGS-INDUSTRIE, AKTIENGESELLSGHAFT, OF CON STANCE, GERMANY, A COR- PORATION or GERMANY.

(PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SALTS 0F FATTY AClIlDSwmasses.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH EDERER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resldent of the "city of .Wildau, Kreis Teltow,

Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Producing Salts of Fatty Acids, of; which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the extraction of fatty acids in the form of their salts from vegetable raw material, such as saw-dust, waste wood, wood pulp, straw, hay, bark, leaves and other similar material.

The invention is based on the observation that certain compounds, such as are supposed to be for instance in wood, and con-' taining formyl, acetyl, propionyl and butyryl' groups are split off by treating'said raw material at temperatures below 100 C. for in: stance atmospheric temperature and pressure 5 with an aqueous solution of a base, such as f a solution ofammonia, dilute alkalis such as solutions of potassium hydroxid, sodium hydroxid or soda, or solutions of alkaline earth metal hydroxids, such as calcium hydroxid, the salts of' the respective acids with the base reacted therewith being formed by this treatment. This splitting oif is effected even by an extremely dilute solution, such as, a solution of alkali hydroxid in the propor-v tions 'of 1 part of alkalihydroxid to 2000 parts of water. It was further observed that in this treatment the wood does not undergo any visible change, excepting that it becomes a little darker in color.

I am aware that processes have already been patented for obtaining fatty acids or 1 their salts bytreating wood with alkaline solutions, such as is described in German Patents Nos. 69,786 and 244,816, but there is a great difference between these prior processes and my process inasmuch as, by these older, processes the wood is treated,

with a solution of sodium hydroxid at temperatures above 100 C. and at, high pressures corresponding to the high temperature,

whereby a great part of the wood is de-.

stroyed and transformed into compounds soluble in the alkaline lye. Contrary to the expectations given by the processes referred to, my process works at temperatures below 100 C. and at normal pressures, for instance at atmospheric temperature and pressure, although a pressure generated by comand when it has become neutral it PatentedApr. a, was.

pressed air is sometimes of value, with the effect that the wood in my process is not split into cellulose and ligneous substances, the acids being obtained as stated above Without noticeably afiecting the wood.

In further explanation of my process, I shall describe by way of example one method .of carrying out the same in which calcium hydroxid is used as one of the many agents suitable for the practice of my process. In said example I proceed as follows: The Wood to be treated, for example pine wood,

.' is reduced to small chips and is then treated in a suitable vessel'with an alkaline solution comprising a dilute solution of'calcium hydroxid, hereinafter referred to simply as liquor, at atmospheric temperature. If it is desired to accelerate the extraction, the charge is moderately heated, say to not much above 50 (1; the charge is allowed to stand under atmospheric pressure for a number of hours, for example half a day. The liquor during this time gradually becomes neutral is separated from thewood by, filtration, Whereupon the liquor is again enriched with calciumhydroxid solution and permitted to enter a container filled with fresh wood chips. This operation may be repeated, if desired, as many times as is necessary to cause the saturation of the'liquor with salts of the fatty acids at the prevailing atmospheric temperature,

In order to perfectly extract th wood as well as to obtain a liquor of thehighest possible concentration, I preferto use a diffusion battery as one of the many suitable apparatus available for use in carrying out the operations of my process.

with calcium hydroxid in. its passage from one ,to the other of the single cells of the bata ters Patent is:

tery. In case lime is used the heatof reac tion may be taken advantage of in accelerating the reaction as described. The battery is put into operation by passing water or a weak alkaline liquor, respect ively, through the'same and according to the counter currentprinciple the weakest liquor 1s permitted to act upon the most exhausted wood,

chips. As soon as a cell is exhausted its content-is discharged and another charge of fresh wood is introduced, the cell being again connected up' in the battery. The

' more or less saturated liquor obtained at the end of the battery is eva'porated and the residue consisting of the desired salt or salts or mixtures of them may be worked up by any of the well known methods to obtain the corresponding fatty acids.

.The yield of fatty acids which may be obtained by the practice of my new process necessarily varies considerably, depending of course both on'the material used and on the conditions of the material per se. In my experiments I have usually obtained from air-dried pine wood from 1 to 2% and from air-dried beech woodfromb' to 6% of fatty acids. m

Where I use the term base in the specification and in the claims, I intend to include any aqueous solution of a compound forming salts soluble in water with the acids found in wood and'the other vegetable raw material, referred to, such bases being primarily ammonia, alkali metal hydrbxids and alkaline earth metal hydroxids. w I

It is obvious that-the steps ofthe process and the temperatures and pressures referred tomay vary considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not'yrestrict myself to "any particular temperature or pressure,raw material or substance to be reacted therewith, further than the scope of the appended claims demands.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let 1. The process. of extracting fatty acids from vegetable raw material in the form of 4 their salts consisting in treating said mate- .rial at atmospheric temperature with an aqueous solutlon of a base, whereby the acids contained in said rawmaterial are reacted with said base to form-salts soluble in water, andseparating the solution exhausted raw materlal. l V

2. The process of extracting fatty. acids from vegetable raw material the form of from the I their salts consisting in treating said material at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures below 100 C. with an aqueous solution of' a base, whereby the acids contained in said raw material are reacted with said base to form salts soluble in water, and separating the solution from the exhausted raw material.

-3. The process of extracting fatty acids.

from vegetable rawmaterial in the form of their salts consisting in treating said matewhereby the acids contained in said raw material are converted by said base to calcium' salts soluble in water, and separating the solution of the calcium salts from'the exhausted raw material.

5. The process of extracting fatty acids from vegetable raw material in the form of their-salts consisting in treating said material at atmospheric pressure and at tempera- 1 tained in said raw materialare converted by said base to calciumsalts soluble in water, and separating the solution of the calcium salts'from the exhausted raw material.

6. The process of extracting fatty acids fromvegetable-raw material in the form of their salts .consistingin treating said material at atmospheric temperature and pressure with an a ueous solution of calcium hydroxid', where y the acids contained in said raw material are converted by said base tures below 100 C. with an aqueous solution of calcium hydroxid, whereby the acids conto calcium salts soluble in water, and separating'the solution of the calcium salt from the exhausted raw material.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in' the presence of subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH EDERER. Witnesses:

LONGARD SNEZER, WOLDEMAR HAU'PT, W. TAULZE. 

